In the last several years costs for solar power have dropped significantly,
driven by advances in manufacturing technology, improvements in efficiency, and
government support, among other things. Apparently, that's led some solar power
plant projects to switch from using solar thermal technology—which involves
concentrating sunlight to generate high temperatures that can be used to
generate electricity—for photovoltaics, solar panels that convert sunlight to
electricity directly. At least that's what Reuters reported today.

Reading between the lines, the issue may also be something called
bankability. Solar panels are established technology—banks have a pretty good
idea how long they'll last and what the return on investment will be. Much of
the solar thermal technology being deployed now hasn't been tested on a large
scale for long periods of time, which can make financing harder. Indeed, in one
case, "the company would have needed to secure loan guarantees from the U.S.
Department of Energy aimed specifically at new technologies," the report said.